Senate Democratic Leader Sharon Nelson issued the statement below on behalf of the Senate Democratic Caucus in the wake of the racist violence in Charlottesville, VA and the unacceptable and inadequate response from the president:

“Washingtonians will continue to fight every day for a world of inclusion and against a world of division. Neo-Nazis, white supremacists, the KKK, the alt-right and hate groups of every stripe are outnumbered not just in our state but in our nation. We shouldn’t have to denounce these people – their actions and words do that. But absent leadership from the top rungs of our national government, it is imperative for anyone with even a small platform to stand up and say that we will not accept racism, anti-Semitism and hate in our country and our state.

“We will not be intimidated. We will continue to move forward together. We will continue to fight for a world of inclusion and speak out against hate – even when leaders in the other Washington won’t. We will fight for the Washington Voters Rights Act. We will fight for our friends and families — regardless of their race, their gender, their sexual orientation, their religion, the address at which they live.

“We honor the memory of Heather Heyer and the people who were injured in the racist violence in Charlottesville and we send our love to their families. We, as Washingtonians, will not accept that racism and bigotry is our country’s new normal. There is nothing normal about what’s happening at this moment in our history.

“Washingtonians will stand up to prejudice in all its forms – whether it comes cloaked in white hoods or originates from this White House — and we will lead that effort.”